Origin
Erie, CO
Morning in Erie on Tuesday
Local time
6:22 AM
MDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Erie, CO to Fort Collins, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
56m
Distance
45.2 mi
73 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 52m
★
6 AM
0h 56m
8 AM
1h 6m
10 AM
1h 0m
12 PM
0h 59m
3 PM
1h 0m
5 PM
1h 5m
8 PM
0h 54m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Erie, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Fort Collins, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 45.2-mile drive from Erie to Fort Collins, Colorado, is a quick trip that can easily be completed in under an hour, making it ideal for a single-day excursion. You'll primarily be on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and East Mulberry Street, with a short segment on CO 52, offering a mix of highway and local road driving. With an estimated fuel cost of just $7, this route is very budget-friendly. The journey stays within the Mountain West region, providing a consistent feel throughout. Given its short distance and duration, this drive offers a lot of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 33.9 mi | 33m |
| East Mulberry Street | 4 mi | 7m |
| CO 52 | 3.1 mi | 5m |
| County Road 3 | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| County Road 1 1/2 | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| West Mulberry Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Briggs Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Sherwood Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
— 33.9 mi, about 33m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Erie, CO and Fort Collins, CO.
1
Start on Wells Street
0.1 mi
·
36 sec
·
Wells Street
2
Turn left onto Briggs Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Briggs Street
3
Continue on County Road 1 1/2
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
County Road 1 1/2
4
At end of road, turn left onto County Road 3
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
County Road 3
5
At end of road, turn right onto CO 52
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
CO 52
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
Toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
Use the left lane.
7
Merge onto I 25
34 mi
·
33 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 269B
Toward CO 14 West: Fort Collins
9
Merge onto CO 14
4.0 mi
·
7 min
·
East Mulberry Street
Use the straight lane.
10
Continue on West Mulberry Street
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
West Mulberry Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
11
Turn right onto South Meldrum Street
499 ft
·
29 sec
·
South Meldrum Street
12
Turn left onto West Magnolia Street
476 ft
·
18 sec
·
West Magnolia Street
13
Continue on South Sherwood Street
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
South Sherwood Street
14
Arrive at destination
South Sherwood Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
23 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 22.6 miles from Erie, CO, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 40.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Briggs Street
Turn left onto Briggs Street
Navigation decision point
6
3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
CO 52
At end of road, turn right onto CO 52
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
6.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Turn left toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
5
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
I 25 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Merge onto I 25 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
40.3 mi into trip
|
~46m in
Take the exit toward CO 14 West: Fort Collins
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 269B
Toward CO 14 West: Fort Collins
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.81 one way
$13.62 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $7.21 | $14.42 |
| premium | $4.39 | $7.82 | $15.64 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.98 | $19.96 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 15.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.75 | $2.17 |
| Efficient EV | 11.3 | 0 | $3.96 | $1.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.1 | 0 | $6.33 | $2.89 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Fort Collins, CO
Morning in Fort Collins on Tuesday
Local time
6:22 AM
MDT
Current temp
32°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
58°F
Johnstown, CO
23 mi in
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
22 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
56m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this 56-minute trip, with only 7% of the journey on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 33.9 miles on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. This suggests a route that balances faster highway travel with more frequent changes in direction and potentially lower speed limits as you navigate local roads. The character of the drive will likely shift from more open highway to more intricate city streets as you approach your destination.
Only 7% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 33.9 mi on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Briggs Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 45.2 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Briggs Street): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (CO 52): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Fort Collins, CO
Full guide →Fort Collins is a city of about 170,000 in north central region of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of Larimer County, the city lies 59 miles (95 km) north of Denver on the Cache La Poudre River at the eastern edge of the Front Range foothills. Fort Collins is the home of Colorado State University and is a major research center.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 56m. Total distance: 45.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
56m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (7%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 33.9 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Briggs Street): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (CO 52): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Fort Collins, CO before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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